4

NATIONAliSM
MV Nation. Under God

IF JRSUS "'F.RIC t\1.1\''' TOntiI', would he b~ p,urio ric? G OI your a"swcr~

Actually. that i. not ~a]jy the 'lue. lion I want 10 pu,""c . \Vha! inte ....
e," me;" whether you ".."mcd th at I woo ask ing wheth er Jcru, would
be a p atriotic /I""r;lllll? O f course , we arc aware lha1 Jc . u s was <101 an
American duri'lg hi, cUlhl~' life, so there is no reason 10 think that he
wou ld be an Amcriean ifhe was alive today. In (~ct, odds HC slim that
he would be a U.S. citizen. This CDUnI,,' is h orne to onl" about 3 to"
ptrcem of the worM', populati on, and there arc ahnO~l tWO hundred
re cognized nation •. furrhermore. We km)\v th at when Jesu s did re side
on this planet. his plac e o fbirrh was not one of that era', superpowers.
I roadily admit that my tollow·"p 'lueotion ab out J~ su" patriotism
to ward the United Slale> i, n ul ent irely lair. Since m oS! who re"d thi s
book will be U. S. citilen •• il i. natural w ponder the 'lueSlion within
our own frame <>f rdercna. At th e same tim e, it is important to ~"n'
sid .. also whether it is uncomfortable to think that Jesu. might ha"e
been h o rn into another natio n had his incarnation occurred wday. be -
caUSe the idea that one's o Wn nal ion is utliqudy fa~red by G o d and an
62

integral p~rt of God's plan (an id~a known as cx""prionruism) holds the
seeds of a reliKious nationalism.
Religious nationa lism;' rather di~ tjnClive among the world'-;ews
sun'eyed in this buok because, in this country. it is most frequently
found within con.ervat;... C hrisrian circles. Our supupower ,mills and
the longe" ity of our political .yue m provide a potent seedbed for na-
tional;>! ideas. ,"Vhm this i. combined with a rather widespn:"d belief
that the Un it ed State, is (or in Some cases, was) a Christian n ation .
nationa l;;;m becomes a seductive w orldview for Christians. To be lUre,
not "II form. of nmionalism arc rdigiou s in orientation , but for ",asons
we will examine below, mo st arc.
\Vhen we speak of nationalism as a lived world .. i,,," in compet ition
with Chrit;tionity, thi •• hou ld not be taken as a condemnation of pa-
triOTi sm. \Vc " 'ant IU say as e~rlici tly and (orcdully a~ 'V" can thaI pa-
TriOTism, Ih e lov" of one'. cOllnlry, is" good and nece.sary thing. H ow -
e,'er, we walll to say juST as forcefu lly thm a patriOTism That lose,
per ' peel i'·e :md offers ollr highe •• loyalty to a speci ftc S1 ale is an evil
and dUmlcli.-e thing. In essence, na ti onalism i . Ihe imb"hnced an,]
distorted form of something thou is good-patriotism. There i. no sim-
ple way to determine wit h prec ision when goo d patriotism degenemte .
into nationalism, but we ,.-ill alle mpt 10 gi,'c .mne potenTia] bench-
m a rk~ for ,df-cxamin,uion. Before w e gel 1o thaI . however, it is im pot-

mot 10 tah a cl o.cr look al t he naTure of nation •• 0 We ~~m llnder.l and

why religion, rerh" I" our OW", is so U(len cn-opud hy nalionali,m .

NATION CRE ATION

N,"i t>ns arc nnl el ernal en titie ., Thq COme ;mn an d g() ,,\11 of exis-
lenCe . "["h\l', a v;t al lhcme in our d i!lc ".~i()n is Ih~1 nal";ons arc crc:lIed
Ihing'S, and rather artificial creation s al that. For example, whal ha,
hem included wirhin Tbe I",rdcfs oftbe Uniled S tate~ and und er the
j urisdi~lion of iI, law. I"" varied significantly wit hin ;1, relatively brief
history. Through rehellion, sc n\cmcnt , pllr~h "sc , con'l" c~ l, mlll,x"lion
"ud t"", .;liol\ frorn territory tn stu le, the Hl;tP of lhi . cm,,!!r)" h ,,~ gone
Ihrn"gh nUmerOu S (orm s. Even Ihuugh We think oj i\ . borden i" r"h-
ti,·ely Slable now, hi'Tor~' shou ld remind u. that il is u"likely Ihal ~thc
 63

M
United Smt•• of Am.riea will re fer to exactly the same land m,,,, a
century in the future, a nd it mar not exi,t at all. If you find this hard to
imagine, compare ~ globe from a hundred yean "-go with a current one.
You will get the pictur<:.
Nation. are not simply artificial in the sens. that borde.. are often
fluid and the means by which they are establi,hed i. frequently arbi-
nary. N o . ingle justification cxi,u to c.>:pbin why one group of people
beco me " a"ocialed with one particub r nation rather than another.
Sometime , nario'" arc ddin ed by old col onia l . Ullotllr• • or a co mmon
h;,(ory. In other cases , ling uist ic, .UIIU,.,.I, traditional , tribal, racial or
religious co mmonalities prov ide the ba,i. for flmionhood. In Au ,! ...!ia
and other isla nd cou ntri ••, bo rd~rs ~re establi.hed by gcogr~phy, even
though the people within t hose ge()gr:\phic~1 hound~r ic. di tTer radi-
c~II~' on numerou ~ I~" ek In yeT other casn, the demenH ~b ,w e "r. the
very things th at mu st be transcended in order for a nation to emerge. In
Amerirn's early hi stor~', the dive r •• linguistic, cu ltura l, religious and
historical background s of people in the colonies made un ity e;'(tremci.l'
dim.ul!. In; ti,,)!)', t hen, h~rmony w:.s fou nd in COmmOn goal s Or idea ls,
. uch as liherty and equality. O,'er time, howe""" mu ch of the United
Smr~s' n ational id entit\' h as ,hifted from the.e co mm on ideal, to in-
dud. also a common history. In ,h or t, nat ional ch aracter is not a stat ic
th ing bm .omel hi nl': th at chan ge , ove r time. Th e poim is twofold h ere:
th e ",w malerials for na tion- crea tion vary widciy from one .0Hm ,.\' to
a"",her, :md wh", I',<",i<l". the basi. for t h" ~t a te ill on e circumst"n,c
may h c rhe gre",c s! " h>tad c t" a co hcsi,'. ' I"IC ill """lher si,u alion.
Whil e the pa",graph above spe, k. , bou t jll,! .ome of th e <v'l's na-
t ion. find i us!ifim!i"n (or becomi ng political e ntit ies wilh un i'l"e id~n­

tities, it ,toes not re:tlly Iell u ~ why nations come il1lo being. A! the ri,k
of oversimplification , thi . que . tion can be boiled down fO power, which
manifests irsd rin three dosely rdate d w3y.~$tab ili!y, m ilitary powe r/
defen<ibil it \' ;l nd " conom ic dOllr. r.,1 ost of ", do "ot I h ink " r Ihe nation-
state in the "Ve~ t"rn world as a modern phe nomenon, but that is the
re , lily. The (,," dalis!ic soc ial ~ !Tu "tures that existed for mm,h of the
Illedie,,:t lperiud .:o nsi. tcd ,,(fl ucl uating ,,,n(ede n,l inn. (",,",cd by mi-
nor nob ili ty, eac h cOl] trolling small . w:tt h. of «"I eSl ate. Si1l1 ilar typ"s

,
of splems arc slil! found in parts of Ihe worid in which warlords or
tribal gro np. hold aCll1al control within the border. of a counlry. Now.
a$ in ,he medicv~l period, the se sau eture. laek . t"bility and all that
goes with it. Nations pro mi. e, and have a g reater cap:lcit)" to deli'·n. the
politiml, military :lnd economic stab ility and strenglh that cannot be
,ntained by sma ller politicaJ units.
To say lhat power is the main rea soJ) for the existe nce of nation. is
not To pronounce judgmem on it. The idc~ t h at politi cal , military or
economic power is an evil p er Se i. 6r to o simplistic. A lot of go od ,e-
,ults fro m political and social stabil ity, military delerrcna and eco-
nomic sTrength; and pa triotism i. properly directed when it ac knowl -
edge. the se positi,·. a'pecl>I. H ow.ver, to ac hieve and maim"in power,
n~lions mU.1 . eCure Ihe J0Y'llt)" of cilium. With on. thi~ loyalty, the

pO\\'cr and " ah ilit y of the ""Ie is in jeopardy.

T he mea ns by which nmions pursue pnw .. can lead to nmionali, m,
so th e tooJ, used b)"" nati on to leg itimale ilselfb ecome an imporwm
isslle. Le'·' be honeS!. I f a na,ion '''y', '·We arc a vui:,blc and aui rici:!!
cmit~' thaI ~omcti me s fi,i l. in OUr monl dllt ics , bill We wam Y"'" ~lIe­
g,ance in order to in c r~:tse ou r pow~r and .ec"ril y,~ Ihis i. nol a p<tr-
tic nlarly effect i"e w:t~' to g:t in the fervmllop hy of cilizen<. i n<lcad. a
nat io n .c~ks to win alleg ia nce by attach ing i"elf to some lhi ng thai
gives it the credibility of ,he .u perio, Qr the eterna l. T his ca n happe n by
maki ng cla im s (or a n atio n'~ idcals. pe ople, his tory or so mcthing else.
I-I "w~"cr, in moS! case<, ~ppca l i. made In the divin" ,'" the founJ:uinn
for what i.i ''' perin, or ele rnal "buul a ,"unlry. \~he n G od i. ,·;"wed as
the ab."lule auth ority. nm io", ofl" n att empt W CO - OI'l this author i' )· to
give th em legitim acy. Thi s is why a nat iona li. tic world"iew is usu ally
religiou. in na", re and i. generally adopted b)' individu als with a St ro"g
religiou s oriematioll. 0", of it. belief in 'O me form oCsuperi ority, then,
nal;"'n:t lists dai'" Ihat G od has gi ve n thei r cOllntry" specia l mi .. ion to
thc rest of the world.

A CAlf STUDY IN NATIO NALISM

Several cl e!!,enl' mentioned above p]:,.,·ed " pu t in what i. perh"ps the
mo.. impormm hist or ic" J developmcnt in th e last ccmur~-t!,e birth of
 65

the Nazi party in Germany. 11 i. irnponant CO recall that the N in N"zi

srood for ··Il.uionali.r; and at the hcart o fGnman nationalism was belief
in the super io rity of the Aryan r~ce. It pomayed the German 1'011: as the
highe' l exprc.,ion of hum miry, and thU I the destined ruk n of all oth er
rac.s~on the ba,;, o fthei. preeminen"" in their h istory. int ellectual ac-
complishment. and m oral nature. Thi. w as a111 inkod to Christia nit.v by
procbiming Jes us t o be the fr ue Aryatl and th e fou nder of a Kpo5 ili~c
Christian i ty~ th at had becn lo.t whcn the Jewish Old T<:'lame nt wa s at-
tached to the Bibk. Thu s, the German nation W:l, the candl1;! through
which this purified Christianity would be reint roduced 10 the world.
Th rough G ermany, the world wou ld tcceil'e the true rcii!)ion.
The,e idea, were comb ine d with a G erman trad ition that encour-
ages the obed i,n ce of the church to politj.,al ;luch oritiu . Th •• resuhe d
in a i~·.t ern inrend ed to linite an the Pro te;;ran' churches in Germ~n)"
under a ' ingle bishop, wh o was t hen account able to ~the l eade r~ (i.e. ,
the Fiihr,r) , who w as, of course, Hitln The next <fep of this .o-called
Ge rma n C hri,t ian mOVemen' W "S co expel ,,11 Ch ril li"n ' ofJewish de-
~~ em from mini>!r}' po,il iom , and bIer from membcr$hip in ch urch , so
that a proper Aryan puri ty and pos itiv" Chri.tian it y could be attain ed.
The extent to which . ignifi"anr parN of the Germa" church wa. co-
op ted by nationali.m ca n b •• ecn in a u .olm ion pas<ed in 1933 by the
Reich C hurch, ,,,hieh , tm e. ill part: "Gud hn. cremcd nrc a G erm ,m.
Germanism i. a gifl of G od. G od w,mts me to fight for m.'· Germany.
.. The go~1 " f t he 'Fairh l\1')\'cIl' cnt of "Genna" Chr i. ti an " i< an
e"angd;,,~l German Rei ch ."

You MAY BE A NATIONAliST If

11 i~ e.ISY to look b:tck on ~ n:ltio nali sm a. o bviuusly deS lrIl cti vc ~s N,,-
7.i'm and think we are im<nune jrom <u~h nonsense. !-Iow e"er, th e h is-
tory, trad iti ons and the i<nme'lse power ,, (Ihe United SI"tes hold 1'0-
tem factors Ih,u ca n and do le,,,1 to na t io nal iSl ie tendcncics. On b" lance.
th e sto ry of the United States is , ill oor opinion . " goo d one , but tI,,,!
good ne ss is pHt of ,he ,b nKer. Natio na lism becuntes tentpt"tion pre -
cisely .... hen ",uion, h,,,"e , ,, fri.-.ien' "re ng th u r good ness to iusl'ire
deep-seated l"yah ie,. A s a res" It, cit iZen, of nalions th at aroHse Sf ronK
66

patriotism do not app reciate being compared to Nazi nationalisn. This

pre.ents di fficu lt Ob5t"cl~, for tho ... who consider themselves highly
patriotic 10 honestly appraise their attitude s. Given the tOllchy nalUre
of the topic, J will make a feeble ,nempl10 lighten lip oUr expos ition
o f nnt;onaJi.m's character,.!i•• by modifying Jeff Foxworthy's weJl-
kn ow n ~you maybe" redneck if .. ." routine. The iment isto provide
a ConteXt for examining how you c an u"dculand the place of co <mt')'
within your own overall world"iew.
1. If you fulie'l!~ thaI God's p it", for hi~lory 'WoulJ Iu $MJeuly ham-
peud iflbe U,.i/~d Sial .., did nol "x ;1I in a h .mJud Jean, twmty-Jiu<,
y~Qrs, or ....'en n"xt y ..ar,JoII may br " "ationalist. From th e earliest Set-
tlement of this countr," by Eu ropean immigrants, \Vinth rop's vision of
Amer;c~ as a "City upon ~ Hi ll" (1630) has h"d" profound dr~c{ on our
nation"l sdf-undetsr3nding. In P'''' o(his address (w i'h o Ur upd~rcd

spel ling~) 10 h is band of serders, Winthrop say .,

For we mu" COIl ,ider th", We s.haU be ,~ ~ Ci,y upon 3 Hill. Ihe eye< of
~II people ~re upon uo;.., ,h~, ifw" .rull deal falsely wi,h ourGod in ,hio
work We h~" e "nden~ kc n a nd <;<,~"use hi", to w;,hdr.<w his present help
from us. We shall be made a story and a bywonlthrough the world. we
shall oJkn ,he mouth. of enemies to spea k evil of t he ways of God and
aU prof.sroN fo r God's >Jke-, We slmllshame the f3ccs of many of Go,! ',
wonhy """ "a nlS, ~nd .. " s(: thei, l'...ve!"S 1\J be ''' med ;n'o curse. "pan I"
un,il We are consumed out of the good land where We arc going. L

Thi s concep' o f America:u Ihe heir ofGnd ·. coVen~m pbn,:t NeW

Israci, Ih"l Ih e enli,e world wi ll look to as G od'. modd ji), all nad"",
is d .e pl~· embedded in our nm ional psyche. Similarly, here we find ,he
ide" rhm we will pro. pcr onder G od', unique protection "s long "" we
rem,,;n f:,ilhful.
\¥imh rop's "C iIY "pon .\ Hill~ "'a." nOI ,o!l!cllf to rema in i.ol,ucd
upon !h~ hjll for kll'g. It ~oo n bCC'UllC America's -M,mif" st D" Sl i ny~ Ie)
spread the idc:ds, ~ " d tho bortlers , of ' he "alion from one oc"~" 10 ,," -
other. In the process. the .o pposed goodne .. .md god liness of our end,

'S« AU," Cord". /""iroN TI",.'~'J ;" IIm,,;,o: /I.':'r.~ .nJ /,iI';. ffi''''''''N'~ C,"' ",] M. ,
_~" ",,,(G r..., J R.p~ !" B,k<r. l ~O). rp. n·lO.
 67

w:.. oft~n used as" nationali,tic ju,tification tor some pretty coere;,",
means of arriving at rhi, divine destiny. As th~ physical expansionism
of the United State. began to wind down 1O"'~td th e middle of the
nineleenth century, the idea of Amerka a. a cho.en "a rion Wa, increa'-
ingly framed in rui!!enn;,,] bnguage. I n this view, th e Unit ed State. "'".
the touma;n from which God', millenn;a] kingdom would stretch
acrO •• the globe. America" rni ..ionar), and """ngeli,!ic impul ses would
provide the engine. while oU r politica l ,yotcm and principle, .upplied
the heart of the God', kingdom on "arth.
Gi,'en the.e link. between G od'. plan and the role of the United
State., the idea Ihm ,hi, country co nld cea,e 10 ex;'t is unthinbblc.
H owever, while many m"~' b.lieve that the ·City upon" Hi!!" has lost
some of it~ ,heen, thar our Manifest Destiny to expand rhe phy.ic~ \
bound~r ies has been ~atisfied, or th~t posunilknnialisn, , hould h.

shelved for sO me other eschatological model, th.s. "iews demonst""t.

thm the idea of Ameri"" n exceptionalism rnn !lex with the circum-
sTanCe •. If, ,herdore. rO\l belie"e for any re:",em ,ha, G od's "him:ne
plan for :tli the n:l,ion~ i~ inextricably bound ul' wilh ,h. far. of the
Uniled Stares. you may be a nntiona list.
2. IJyollfind it IIl1tbi"It"bI. thai" drizm would nor be ablero pledge
allegi''''re 10 tb~ flag or sing the lIatiollal anlh ..", fo~ re/igiolls remOIlS,
yo" III")' h~ a lI"tiollalisl. It i, f",h ion"blc in ma"y Christi"n cirde.
tod",v to be dismissive of long-nanding Christian rituals, The word
HIU'"8)' ",'o k e~ PWllS, reciting creed, is viewed as ",chaie. :",d the
. "c,m"enlS a,e treated ""her c"~",, lJy, Hnwevcl, whcn it come< to
nali una l rituals. pcop lc gN pretty fired "I" You may remember thc
recent (uror ",hen jud icial "C!iUll que stio ned the inclusi,,,, of ,he
phrase uUn<\cr G,>(!~ in the pledge of Allegi~n,e (a ph ra se whi ch, by
the w"y. WaS nOI parr of the pledge Itntil 1954). My poi nl i~ nOI
whet her the phra~e ihuuJd or shou ld nut be in this pledge (a lthuugh
bter I will ask how i, should be und ersto od), but whether our attitude
towa rd n."ional rilll a is tell. u. somcthi nK about ,he alignment, or
IT, isal ign me"', of Oll r lo,va It ics,

Ritual always r;"ds" place in religion, <;! i'tenship :md football te i,m.
bec:ouse it pro"ides " n enent i:d w"Y 10 expre,. ult r .h~rc<1 '''" U'' it ntenl.
in a community setting. By engaging in rirua], w e buy into the g ronp .
organization or team. Convcrsd}" then, when w e refuse to engage in
pledges , s:d"tc s Or a1l1hcm., it appear; to bc a «jection of ~uch an as-
sociation . As a «suh, re(u s~lto pluce ~n American n~g in the chuTch
or part icipate in our national ritual. look. like a fai lure of pmriot ism.
Th i. cre at es a real ten.ion for so me Christians, who view pled g .. of
nation,,1 lovaln·
. . as a form of idohlr\". and in contlie! wilh lheir allc-
gunec ro G od. I\bn~' lime., this grow s out of conCcrn about thc .imi-
britics benvcen patriotic ri[>Inl s and rdigious ritunl s. The<e para llels,
and the fact th at the . epa",," oblig ations to God and country are often
combined, lead SOm e Ch ristians to avoid all nat ionalist r it u"ls. Another
factor is historical in natUre. ]I.·Ian)" Ch rist ian tmditions, p~rhaps ~·ou rs ,
wer. bi fthed OUt of di •• ent :lg-~inst !I:Hc-ehu rch. ,. The.e ,tate-ehu reh. I
frequently re sponded by COlwi ncing the govern",e'" If) perse cute, and
in some cases execute, m embers of the di ",cnting church . Thus, chureh -
state a l1i,l.!lc~, h~ve often led to n~tion. p.neeuli ng Chr isti:m . in the
nam e o fChrini~nily. Th;. d anJ:cr. in ad dition TO Ih e dangu ,ha( one i
faith ",m be co-o pted Or "b~orbed imo Ol' r political id cmiry, leads many
Chri,{ i,,,,s to ~"oid all such nat ion al ceremon ie•.
On the one h and, au . view ~ that ritual . proclaiming one'. pbce
within a national ("nily ~ re not neee ..arily" violation of our primary
com mitment to Chri>t and his church. On the o ther hand, we ~rc gbd
that th ere :I re Christ ian. who refu se participation in our nati onal rilt,-
als. T hey provide a ne,c~s"r.v remindef that the bala nce between my
" ,U iona l :lllegiancc and my co m mitme'" to rhe ("ith dem""d~ ,n" . t'''ll
,ment ion so d,e two are not <:onfu,;cd. 1t: however. it i. unthinkable to
.vou thaI nags. " at i,,,,,, I am hems or pat riot ic I'ledge ~ call attai n a sa<.:m-
me ,ua l s tatu S tilat riv"I., undercut~ or co-O pt. om:". Chri,tian alle-
gia nce , you may be a nationalist.
J. /fyo" fhink our D~darafion of In,f~pt'"d~lU~ ~mho"i~~ ~f~rutlf

pr;IIdpln orfhllllh~ Consfirllliotl .holl/d n~tJ~r berhtlng,J,)'Oll "'"Y h~ a

ntlliona/isl. The Semence abo ,·c i, a bit snca kr si nce OUf C" nstitu(ioll,
ill ",e!. has been changed by "",<ndme'" s..-cr,,] t imcs. The nccessity
of doing this ~hnuld make cle,," th at eVen good foundat iona1 dOClllncn t s
.I" not re ;o ch t he le'·c1 of i nf.~l1 jhjlit y or perfe ction. but "Pl'a rendy th is is
 69

not the ca.e for some. A eollrague of ours reported that h~lf ofh;s stu-
dent. in a cbs. (ovem-helmingly Chri.tian) put the inspiration of t he
Declaration of Independence on par with that of Scripture.
A.. We mentioned .",lier. "atiom often seck to solid ify the loy ~ l ty of
citizens by claiming that their foundations arc grounded in eternal
truth, . For .ecub. nationalism, the •• unshakable verities are what sel
them "part from other nations and make them exceptio n"l. It then be-
comes their mi,sion to disperse these truth s, sometimes by force if nec·
.,.ary. Religiou s nationnli,m equales political truth, with r.'·c hu;an
found in holy text. Dr G od', will. The sudbcd fOT 'lIeh idea. appcar. in
our Dcchrat ion of Independence, in ",hi,h righu of "life. Jib~rt~, ~nd
the pursuit of h~ppiness~ ~re ·in~lien~bJe rights~ p,eci~d~' because we
~re endowed with the,e by ou , Creator. \Vhcn ,hi. i. gi"en a nalional-

i.tic tw iil, then, one's na,ion be,omc~ ,he in.truOlen! by which this
divine message is prochimed.
Constitution. and olher n~tion31 documents ~re im po rmm guide.
for political doclfinc. Howe"er, natioll3lism cOrnel into exi,lenee when
political doctrines become d"Km'l ,md aSSUme ,I sc riptur.,I1c,·eI of au-
thority. A couple of ob. ervation;; can hdp guard "gainS! th" d~nger of
giving sitch status to politica l document •. The fir" i. tn note th nt n
c",d"l reading of nn)' constitution reveal s dn •• pamllel. with the idea.
,md circumstances of th e age in which it WaS written. The (o"nJinl;
documents of the Uniled 5r-dtCS, for cX"mple, a,e .tro ngly ' haped by
Enlightenment philoool'hy, nn intellect""l mO"em"nl often in profound
",nO io with C hri<tianity.
T he seco nd obse"~lTion i. rdated. Th e United 5t"t", C01m itut ion
has . in our opinion, se rved this count ,.,· p'«tl y wdl for" good st,el ch ur
ti me. At the Same time, We h~tve ,e cogni7.c<1 il s ;;ho rtcom ings "vcr lime.
For example, We ,,,,reeted (by 'lmendmc nt) the ide,\ th~t ~\Ve the peo-
ple" ex dud~d those who were .bves or femak Th~ point is thai, whi!~
we honor fUlld:tmenta] docum~nts and id,,~~ of a cou ntry, We , hou ld
combine this with a recugnition o fthc imperfection ~ and time-b ound
ideas within them . I fthi~ Sen!c " fhumil ity i,; ah.em, you may be well
down th e ,o<td to becomi"g" ""Iion"li,!.
.J. if)"'" b~/i".,,, Ibm "" ~ .1lI1i"n 'W" ,,1dfi .. ,,11y b.. OK if;1 'W",l/Ii j " sl
70

g~1 bark /a "haw;/ '100' " at some eariiu s/ageoj,mr hi,/ory. )'Ou may be a
nat;,malisl. A couple of decad es ago. conscrmt;v~
Chr;,ti"n. had n
.nong sense ofb~;ng pulitical and soci",1 outsider •. E"cn w;th recent
increased political cluut. the feding fh~t evangelica ls an: on the lnsing
. id e of" cultu,.., war ..,main•. The ex nct nature o f the cultural problem
i •• om.time. toggy. but it often inclu des thing . lik. th e absence of
pra),er or the t.achinl; of ."01u tion in public schools, Or the bank. O"er
abortion and g;:oy m arriage. The ' '' pposed antid ote for the nmion'. ill,
i. sought by a reconry of _om. golden :lge within OUT nationa l history
when tho.e thing. did nor exist. U.ually, thi. ble<!cd and right ';me i .
not spccificall.,. identified. but it ofren looks :l lot like the world the
C!e~ver famih' inhabited,
This i~ ruti(lOali,m with a ,wist bec~u sc it see s ;I. country's rresent
~ tale as a dcpanun:: from G od', will. However, the e~cep,io n:ll;.,n th~t

tarm s nationali.m', core i. pre'ent in the ide " that the nation once ,va,
the beneficiary of G od', unique b!e5<ing, Moreover, th i, b!e .. ing can be
regained by a return TO t he proper imerpr.':l!ion of th. Con , {;t mion Or
th. COrree! eulnITa l nOrm " In , hort, lhen, unc'5 dUlY:lS:I Christ ian is
brought into int imate connection Ivith one', d uty ",,, citizen,
Several problem. emerge immcdi:ltely from thi. id." . Fir't, when
"golden crn,H arc defined by " narrowly con.tmcd •• t of i"uc', they
(lui ck l)' ta ke on • Ill }'t hi ca l chua,'!er in whith .11 the blemishes of th"t
gilded age 'If.
ignored or glon.d oVer, Thu., it i. ~'(>mmon to hear a
d. , ire t o return to th e C h riSlianity of nllT fou nd in g father, wi,h om
tccogni,,;ng ,hal many nf them w~re dciu. who t~ l kcd " 10\ 'Ibml! G od
but were hostile toward C h r i,tianity, A ,cco",1 prob lem is that wc run
the ri. k oflll rning G od int o a vcnding "':t,h ine wil h the ide" thm he
will provide us wilh the nat iooal protect ion, st,uu s ~ml wcll-bei ng if We
beh ave in pwper ""lyS, Finally, our re tll rll to G od ', {avor is KcnCTally
Ihought '0
be orches lrate d by pol iti cal aCli ons that will ge t u50 back <>tl
Ihc right cullll r"! and rn on,l track, In each ClSC , Christ ians arc t em pted
10 rely on politi.:al meth ods an d g()al s 10 define Our mi •• ion,
N osta lgia in moderate doses i. a goo d thing, bec ause it is a reminda
of:lll th e 1'<>",.;1 \\'e Irave eXl' er i e n ~ed in the 1'"'" More over, it is hard 10
d i:! l'"t. thai $ome of 1hc thin gs "f our I'''sl 'h'" have dis"pp."n::d from

,
 71

the present "r<: ,ad 10.,,,,. At the same time. nonalgia :tlway. has a
Ill~·th ica l tinge to it because it filters out all the ncgath.., junk from a
bygone period. Nationalist ic belief i" a ~g<>l don e ra" ~lIffCfS from the
. arne tYre offi ltradon prOet h, '0 if ~'o o believe Ih::u God', pbn i, de -
pendent on removing s pecifIC social ill, by recn"cTing a piece o f th~
past, you may be a nationa lisr.

SOME POSITIVE Amm WI IHI~ NATIO NALIS M

Nationalism is built a roun d "<!Tong .en,,, of nalion") identity a n d cOm-
mitment to o ne', country, a nd while a n ationalist worldview as:l whole
is problem."ic, the s" two dements h",'. positive :l~pect' . For one th ing,
they offer a corrective to the ;odi ,-idu"li,t;" notion that n alions are , irn-
rl~' a collection of indiv iduals joined rogethn by common aSSelll. In
"ddilioll to obv iou s functions, such :1s prov idi ng o legal f':l",cwo rk ,hal
outli nes the right. and respom ibilitie. of ,itizens ,md off~ ring protec-
tion , notionoli.m recog nize. th at a country creates on env iro nm ent thm
precede, the individuals w ith in il and shape. their identit y. i\'hrc h of
thi . happen. throu);:h ~bsor pt i on. Howe\'e r, political stability i. al >o
dependent on a citizenry that ocr i"dy identifje, with the hi,rory and
ideal. of th. country. It i. , therdo, e, in the best intc,e't of th e ,rotc to
.m·ourage th.>e volu nt a,y co mmitments, and much "ositi,'c <"<m result
from the,e di',,!:..v' of p"rr iOli'm.
1. ,va' ioll,,1 Ment ity rtln h ..lp liS n'IJoid inditliJ ualistll . O ne I'0'i'i\"<:
aspc~1 of nur n:1t ion al :1lkgiancc< i~ that they ca n ft""t in" a. a cnUlllcr-
bol:.nce to in di "id""lisrie and scl fi , h !cndenei.>. \Villingncs< to make
sacrifice, for something bigger than the indiv id ual sci fis nut .r natural
tendency, but .nlller hi ng We m~l!;( 1c"rn. Fulfilling the obligations or
driunship is (lllc or the w"Y~ We gain the ,l iscipji nes aSiodated with
unodfjsh neii. C iti 'le n.hi p is also a useful training grnu nd fo r rhe "irtue
or gnuir "dc . \ ,Vhil c they ",c alw:1ys ihwcd, Illnst Ilations orr~ r ~Otl1C
Illc;tSllfC " f protection :1I1d stability for cvcryd"y lirc, :tn" wc h:1"c "
Ino,,,1 (Ibligation !O acknowledge this g""d through Ollr loya lTY.
1. Notio" ,,1identity (lin help ""er ro ,,, e m rrroW trib"/il"'. " COmmOn
trend to,j~y, especi"II~' in ' Vester" nat;"" s, ;~ th", popul:lt; OIlS :Ire be-
Com ing Ill Ore J iVer.s<:- r"c ;'111)', rei igi oll sly. Ii"g";s\ ic~ lIy ""d ot herw ;se.
71

In this proC~'8, we have the oppo rt u nity to ~ngag~ , under<tand and

w ork with p~opl ~ whos~ differences might orh . ",,;sc .epa rate us . Our
default tendency is to ~tay within ci rcles wherc We fcd rn o" comfort-
able. T hi s fr.qu emly leads to stereotyp ing and pr<:j ud ices again ' llhuse
who arc different in some w ay. \Vhen n ation:il tie s and duties force us
to get beyond the se differences , the d iyisions an d b ia ses o f tribalim,
(sec cha pter eight) can be overcome , In shon . life within nali onal
bOll nd"r ;•• can help craSe other boundaries 1hat might keep u. "pan;
CO mlll on , irjun sh ip c:>.n provide th e oonre'" in which we become m ore
::twa..., of the co mmo""l iti es of human nat ure. The pOUllt;:>.l nntions
prOVide for helping us di scover the common hum anity of a!!. then, i, a
po.iti,·~ .t~ment of our lives with in th •• mt".
J. N(1tirms ran pro"'id.:for th~ tOtl! m~" g{J()'(. H i ~tory rem ind, u, rh~r

life c an be in lie~u re and r<:nu ou,. \\'e rnenli (>oed ~ b ove rhatthe emer-
ge nce oflhe na l;on- OInt<: in recent centurie, has been, in Inrg., pan, an
~ttempt 10 reduce the ri,k ~nd in, . eu ri! .,· of life by providing ~ Inrger
ent it~' for t he prolection ~nd n ou Ti. hing of citi·te ns. In , hon, n ~lions
offer ,he ,cale ~ n d size !h ~1 ,,1I ow for" me,,$"Te ofl'ro tection nn d eCo-
nomic developmenl nol found in , ,,,aller soc ial units.
Adminedly, nalioll< h",·e a mixed trac k record of prov iding phy.. ica l
protection and pre, erving even rhe ",oi! bas ic rights of citizens. r..-Iore-
Me r, the ,,,Idi t;onal mili ta ry powe r found in the na1 ion-'tate h:l' often
led ro emp ire- huilding. D c.pite this Sp ott y backg round,;t is frighten-
illg 1o conlemplate what "'hcr oplion" hold for u<. While ,he modern
n,uio n-~I :"c sr ru ct ure hold . il ~ own dangers, We c m find 'luile a ",nn-
ber o f ,,,,,"" ri ,," around Ihe world Ihat provide for rh e int ern al :lI1d ex-
lernal d c f~",e :l nd work in posi t;\"e wa~'s w "ffcr ed ue:uio",,) 0pporllr -
nil ie<. he alt h Ca rc and scrv ices Ih~ r advance th e wd l- being of cili 1.en~.
V\'hen l hi ~ occu rs, We should applaud these as pos itive ,nntribm ionj 10
human lit".
oJ. National Mmt ity , an aid IIJ in "'''(~rstanding o"r$<'lvn. Ahh ough
generali zalion. can be misle ading 3nd d :o nge rou~ , we think it is .ai" \{)
say thai Americ,,,,., despir e 0" , great diversity, tend to be rarh er imli-
vidl"tli sr i.::, cff"icicr1C~·-orien, ed "nd more p nl!lrnalk lh:l n rh coreli<:ally
oriented. How did We gel Ihere? It is diffi cult 10 lInd er'l" nd this wilh -
 73

out knowing something of our history. It will no! occur to me Wh~';1

seems so nalural 10 be lieve that I have the right to yale tor political
kader. without co nsu hing a religious or nibal authority. choose my
sp ouse ruther than having One assigned !O mo by ffi)' parent~, Or mOVe
fifteen hund",d mil e. away from family apart from some awarene.. of
a legacy provided by my narional identity. ~'l uch of whm we believe to
be true. good or JUSl proper m~nncrs is n ot filtne d through conscious
de"ision-ma king proces,es. but is a m aner of absorption. \Vhen I rec·
ognize lhal much ofwh:11 1 do and bdieve has been Iran.mined through
cultural praclic"s, it can acl as a reminder that I ,hould be reflective
about what I sim ply accept no tluth.
Similarly, awarenes. of cu ltural ideas a nd norm. in other coumries
can cha lknge my a~sumpti(m. abollttllc HUC, the good and ,he beauli-
ful in h~"hhy way~ . For exampk, when [ am around Olhers from cul -
lu res Ihat are nOt as tim e- obsessed as ours , it forces me to ret hink pri-
o riti • • . V.'h~r e n aliona! t",dilion dictales . hutting ever)'thin.~ down for
,he aflernoon , I begin to exam ine my as"uml'!io n ~ about how life sho uld
be li'·cd . \ Vhen I bc~o",e conscio ll s Ih,,, nOI ~ll nation s have thc COO-
C~ pl of family Ihal I have as~umed to b~ Ih~ no rm , 1 can b~ mo,""
tho ughtfu l aboul my presuppo.itions aboul Ihe , tr" clUre and place of
my own f~mily. In sh or!, gr~mer awarene .. of differenc~~ betw~"n cul-
Iu n:~ ca ll remind li S of Ihe rd~ti"iI Y of o nc·, o wn nmiom.! lr.tditions,
idc:!" ,md a ,~ump!ion •.

POll. NIIAL PROBLEMS WITH IN NAII ONAlISM

Our ov~rarchillg nili,!ue of :1 n,Hiona!'''t wo r1d\'i~w is that if take. some-
thing th :u i. a rd,livc good. an.1 !'OllIelimc. vny good, and tr"n.form~ it
jnw an ab~oh'!e !,:olld. Viewing o ne's nalion <>r cu lt"r:)1 idea.,,~ wprcmc
i$ olicn done unl"()l1sciou.ly, ~nd it occu rs under a 'lumber or cond itions
that ort~n ",is", in t;lnJe nl with each other. /'u th e 1001 of n:tlion alisrll is
"lack ofhistoric"l PC"l'cc[ ive, in which We forget the Ir:""itor y n,nure
ornn[ions and empi res. li ow many empires, im"gined in !h",;r [;me TO be
etern,,], :Ire UC>Wjusl f" int tnen>o r;Ci tilr "II bul the Itislori,",'
Thi s histo ric al bE"d spot :tll ows u S tn Il oo sedLl~ed by wealth, tnilitary
pn wer and political influcnce, which in turn, creates the impression
that a nation i. doing all th e right thing. and i. ~nt itlcd to that power.
E"en when nationalist" look back on the crumbled and failed empire,
of th. past , the~' anu rne that their cou!1lry i. the exception to the rule.
In order 10 make the ea. e for exceptiunali,m , nationali,m frequently
wrap s ro ligiou. idea. around Ihe stor y ofth. nalion. Thus, when "God
and coUntfy~ bng uage are intertwin ed, one's "ational culture can be
viewed a~ God', will manifest on e~rth. Regurdless of Ihe particu lar
palh taken to Il ation:>.lism, Iransiorming th e rebrive goo d of one', na-
t;on ;1110 the h;ghcif goo d re sult< in a ,';].ri ety of p roblems.
1. Nationalism tra"iforms that wh,'cb sholiid b~ m~a$ared i,,/o the
standard o/mcaSllum"nt. The bd id" Ihat our nalional identity i. a reb-
l ive )(ood implies a duty 10 co nslantly re";sil, evaluate. and correc l our
idea, :md tradition,. Relative good , arc alway, gnod rdati,"" to the
Slan dard again.t which ,hose goodi :.tre measured. H owever, if We looe
sighl of th .. fill ul . talldard against which nation. should he judged, we
have nothing to fc,· .. al their ambiguitie s and im perfeclions.
\Vhen this happe n ~. OUr cultur~ 1 hori'lon and nalion,,1 Ir"dilion. he-
CO rne the y:.rdst ick by wh ich e"crYlhi n!: cI. e i, me:ls llred. The n~lion
Ihat should be subj ect 10 j udgment becomes, instead. rhe judge. Ener-
gies ~ re directed away from e",luation and improvement. and arc ori-
entcd tow3rd protectin g and maint aining the status quo-whelher de-
fine d by Our history, eons litution. supcrpower statu. or th"olog;c:ll
im erprelalions o fnalion al rol e. C hange i~ th erefore ~ec n, nOt as a 1'0-
tcn!ia1 imprn"cmcm but ao , d cviati on from the true and tbe guod.
Defaultin g 10 the statu . quo "0 " henchm:lrk i. p :' rli~ul:trly e nl i ~i ng

because our outl ook On life is.o oft en abs orbed fro m nmional and cul-
tuml more. ralher Ihan consc iously <·hose n. At Ihe same li me, ,in~.., the
StatUs quo lend. to sup pOrt Oll r own hi" ' '' i an(1 d uire ~, the re iult i~ !lSll-
:111." n:ltiun"l arrogance.
2. lj",l"r nationalism, ·fb~ a/her " is viewcti 1IJ n challeng~r. N"linna)
arrog ance is a naluml outcom e of "hso) ulizi ng Ihe ide ulug ies of a counlry.
\Vhen nationali,rn draw. on iu own his l()r~" fi,unding document s and
r ilu al. "S Ih e embod iment of tr uth aga ins t whic h ,,11 ol her. should he
.iudged. other groul'~ will be conside red wrong or in ferior Wht<l any
d irfcrence is !)oted . Al the very kisl. this sellSe "f nal; on,,1 ;nJ:,l1il>il ily

,
 75

dimu13tes th~ poss ibil ity of using other traditions as backdrops and op·
portunities for careful reflectio n on our own political standards. In the
Wont cases, when outsideN do not co nform 10 oll r I'0 litic~l Haws qu o.
nation alism h". rdeptcd "the other 10 the place of a dangerous chal-
lenger that milO! b. defeated. The result h as o ften been horrific blood-
shed. usually carried out under the slogan of "God i. on our side."
J. N ut;oual;sm overr.a~he$ in its tln/lamJ for /oyalt)., Earlier. We ga~c

due credillo n atio n alism for re cognizing that h u man b e ing> arc inh er-
ently soc; ,,1 be ings a nd th at citizenship i. one of the place s where We
find our identity. In view of th is, it is entir d y leg itimate fOT ou r coun t ry
to seck ou r loyall y and patriot ism. H owever, nationalism ,uises when
nations sta ke a greater cla im on our loyalties than they d.serve. No
Christian ca n offer ab.olut" 10y:>1ty to any .ocial li l' uctu re-n otion,
fami ly, school, individual chu rch congregation or work-because all
are TOlafive good •. Nationalism, however, i. a jealous god that d oe. nol
laIc rate rdegation of n:lIi onal idontity to a position of rei3li,'c signifi-
CanCe. Thu s,;t pl"ys on our patriotism and legit imate "ppreci~tion for
the bcnefil ol provided by Ihe " ,,,ion und demand s unli",i,,,d loyahy.
fre'Jucotl}' b~' co-opling rdigiou s language and goal. for adva"dng it s
own agenda . \Vhen a nat ion make. ",ch demand, on our commil-
ment', it ".mbli,h", it,df '" a co mpe'in g religion.
4. Nat ionalism ignores the t ransnal ianal 'lal una/Ch ristian ity . Per-
h"p' One of the maS! o"erlooked I"sso", in Scripwrc', a<"<:oun! ofren-
,,,W'I (Act, 2) i. Ihal C hri Slianity i, not fhe ;;olc pn'se ••ion nf any
parti cular Il:"ion . l n",ead , G nd', new work oow t",n"end , <>Id bound·
aric. and ~n wmpa ..c. all th e nal'ons. Th us , while " Israel"' h ad 011ce
al'l'l, ~d to" d ist,nctive nat ional/et h nic group. tho new "lsmd ,,( G od"
th'll Pau l refers tn in G :I\atian~ 6:16 refers I<> a chu rch thaI er:,sc~, among
other thi ngs , the barriers bel wren Jew and Genti le (G:ll atians 3:28).
Thc erlOr of rd ig;nu~ n"r,ona li< m is Ih at it att empls 10 d rag C h ,;st;an-
it r back int n I he bou ndarie~ of a spccific nation.
Thi. i~ whe re the idea of" Chrislian n31ion hemme. problemalic.
\Vhi lc it is ;ndi , put"b1c Ih:u different na tions re f1ec I ""rying degrees of
Ch ris, i"" ;"f1uenee in Iheir histor ies :lml l'reSe nl li"e5, the idc:.h. m is-
sion and means of ..cur i"g or expressing power arc 'IC"cf the $"Ule for
76

Christinnilr as they are for any nation. Thus, the concept of a Christian
nat ion obscures the (act that the Christian'. prirnar~' <;()lid!lrit~· is not
with those who pledge allegiance to a fhg, bUI ,hose who
p~ rtj cubr

confe.s Je 511' as the Lord, regardlns of their nationality. The funda-

menial identity of a C h ristian i. not contained within the document'
and history of o ne's nation, but in the histo ry o f God', revelatory work
among all people •. \V hCII Chri$fi<m and natian .ue fuscd, Christi anil~'

inevitably lake s on a secondary slalUs as the kgitimating mechanism for

the goal. o f the . lale and cease. to be n p ro phetic voice to the nation.

CONCLUSIO~
Every group has dd,nile idea. about which worldview i. the perpetra-
tor of socinl evils. C onserva';"e C h r;~ ria,,~ !lave le"d~d to f"cu s on phi-
l<>.<>phi~. l ike moral rebtiv;sm a~ the m"jor culprit< of ou, day. The
main roason for this concern is thnt" philo.oph~' like mornl rebti"iml
i. ,'iewed as an assault on trlllh, ~n apprehen. ion we al.o express in the
ncXt chapter. Howe,·er. in their p rc occupaTion TO defcnd the ,e"lity of
trlllh, many ChrisTi"n. h:lve Ii,iled ' 0 recognize The dan)lers of world-
vi cws, 5uch as nationali,m, that an:lch Ihem~dves 10 cbim' of truth.
Thi. is " dangerous blind spot. !-listory 'e,'c al< that fcIr more ha,'" .uf-
fcred and died llllder nntionalism's b:mncr of G od a nd Cu untrV than
under rd ntivi . m'. r"llying cry of~whatc,'cr: Nation,,]i,m has been a
viole", world,·;ew. and it< de , l rucI;ve pow«, h:1vC been energi",d by it,
d " im. 10 h e the ben'er of divine gnnd"e .~ and rnlth . IfChr; , I;""" who
generally ,csonate "cry p" sitively with thc ide" o f ccrtaint~., w",l1 W

undcrstand why Iruth cbims call" ma"y to crin ge, th e lIgl~' history uf
n:niona li. t; c de stru ction in the nam e of G od's truth shed s light 0"
the,c co nce rn s. Th e liSe of G od', name t') undeTKin l " "t i"n~li s tic pmj-
e, IS is one of the biggest re aSOn! t<>r hos tility toward Christi'lnity.
Our intcllt i. nut to pro l\\ote rel ativism or dismis s th e v" lue or good-
nes s of truth. Iioweve r, declarations of unambiguou . truth turn hlood)'
whcn ~lIachcd In something a< moraliy :tnd histor ic ally ambiguou s as
nat io ns. ] t is c~')' fo' c it i'" ,n" !O " "crl""k ou, OWn n.t! iona l moral amb i-
guitie s bc~"lIs e o"r so"i:.] nature coml'd s '" tv seck our phcc wit hin
Ihe gro"p. Moreo\'er, We ""111 to belong 10 n win1ling group.
 77

Those who are insider. within" powerful "ation. then. can believe
they reside in a New Israel , an ide" commonly linked with the United
Stale •. How.".r, in the nineteemh ccntur~', the slave popu lali on com-
monly referred 10 th. Un ited St:l1e~ not "s a New Is rad but as the New
Egypt . Tragically, many Christians who pc,,,,,;vcd th eir ",lIion as th~
"Vromised L a nd ~ enslaved olher Christians who soug ht G od', deliver-
ance in a n.wexodus. Those who find a comfOrTable platt within ioci-
cry 'lnd, ,honoror., have a positive bias fOwJrd our nalio n ca n easily lurn
a blind eye to faults and imperfections thar arc de",ly.". n by tho •• on
the o ut.id e of power.
Power n o l o nly make . it difficuh to see our mora! sh ortcomings, but
it a1.0 obscure. our hislorical ambiguity. Economic well -being ~nd

mili!~ry ~trengrh ~educe U~ into believing tha t a te'n ponry ~scel\d~ncr

is ~n etem,,! reality. Eve ry empire h~s view<.""d itself ~~ dc,tined by G od,
or the gods , to rul e fore,·er. Every one of them was wrong. A ChriSTian
worldview might help exphin why. "Vhil. n:ltion ali.m seeh " partner-
shi p with religion to legitima'e ils cl aim s, the G od ofSc rip,ure is nOt
the ,;e rVa,ll of the n'l!io n ~ bill Iheir judge. God ref"se' to be used for
political purposes. r,.·lorc STrikingly, Scripture m"kes dear thaI the mos t
powerful of nations ,,'" particu larly .lI bject to G od '. sc rutiny and judg-
ment. \Vhile "ariom may ha"e impre"ivc poweN, those powe" are
always temporary .nd pro,'i.ion al.
Th e remind er th., G od ref" .es to submil lo the impe""ive. of any
!m,!iclllar neltiu" re "cal, th at n at innali.m is rc,dly" corpor"!e varialinn
on Ihe . in of prid e. Thu., wh<."" .. "alion al i,,,, speak. o f ~one n"tj,m un-
dcr God,~ it proclaims thi s ... a i:",·t rath er than a ton fe..iotl lh:u "ach
und cvcr~' nalion is ultim ately "ccollntahl" to G "d . \·Vh cn nmionnlism
n
&ings "'God Blesi A merica. it c:mnot dn i", Ih.,t God .... oltld eCju:dl y
blcsi ""cry olher cou ntry on e"rrh or \lndcrs,~ nd why G od might wan!
!O do so. Such pridefu l attitudes deatly co ntrudict our cnll to rema in

hum!>!e "b"ut \lur socia! and polilica l struct ures.

O ne of the mosl difficult ""ks or C hristian it y is learning how to
bal an~"C th e multiple go od < ,h:u bring benefj t to oU r li,·c<. \Ve ~Ount

c;Iiy.enship ,"nong ,ht rchtivc goods, "".I

wh en We le:lrn of atrociti es
eng aged in by other governments, We arc gr~!ef"l far our nati ,m's rcb-

,
tive goo dn e ... On the on e hand, we are morally bound to give honor
and patrioti c loyalty to our nation for these bcn~ r1tS. Fai lur~ on th is
co unt ""·eals a bck of gratitud~ . On the other hand, We have a higher
moral obligation to qualify and limit OUr loy:.hy to rebt;'·e goods. No
nat ion is th~ man ifc.!:.tion of ab solut e goo dnes •. T hus, granting ulti-
mate loyalty to a cou ntry indicntes that we bave loot sight of wh at is
ab.ol utely goo d and have elnated the nation, a created, tran~ifOry and
pauial good, 10 a phce th at sho uld be reserved for G od alone.